A Sense of Community

Tonight, I had the distinct pleasure of attending out Boy Scout Pack 88’s Blue and Gold Banquet. This is always an event I truly look forward to and tonight was no exception. As I sat in the crowd and watched or 5th grade boys cross over the bridge in the Arrow of Light ceremony, I felt a bit melancholy. It was during this part of the ceremony that I found myself reflecting on the boys as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students. It was also at that synchronous moment that I realized that in a few short months these young men would be transitioning to the middle school and I no longer would see their beautiful faces in the school. This is when my heart began to get heavy and I did my best to hold back the tears, I think (and hope) I was successful in masking my sadness.

Immediately following the bridging ceremony several former students (6th, 7th, and 8th grade boys) came over and said hello to me with gregarious hugs and smiles. They were extremely polite and well-mannered, making their parents (and their principal) proud. My heart soared once again since this reminded me that, although students will grow and mature, children will always remember their foundational roots.

It was through tonight’s Blue and Gold dinner that I was pleasantly reminded of the profound honor and privilege that I feel being part of the Sleepy Hollow community. Last week, a parent of five children (three of whom have transitioned to middle and high school) said that she and a group of neighbors were talking about the sense of community that Sleepy Hollow residents have. She went on to say that the group of parents found that the common thread between them was Sleepy Hollow School. In fact, she said that many of the friendships she has now are grounded in the relationships she formed when her eldest children were at Sleepy Hollow School. In this sense, I find Sleepy Hollow School to be the center or “hub” of a wonderful community. It is part of what makes Sleepy Hollow School unique (okay, the headless horseman also plays a role!). I am deeply committed and thankful for the students, parents, and staff. It is my second home, and it has been said that, “home is where your heart is.”

Best,
Anastasia

Satisfaction Lies in the Effort

Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory. ~Mohandas Gandhi.

One of the highlights of my day is welcoming the students into the building in the morning. I meet them, holding open the front door, to greet them and start their day off with a smile. Well, this morning was no exception! After the three day weekend, students were eager to get back to school. They were smiling coming in the doors and were happily exchanging pleasantries with one another. Many students entered the school “arms wide-open” stopping to hug me. A little guy in first grade paused to ask me how I enjoyed my President’s Day and if I had a good weekend. I assured him that indeed I had, but was glad to get back to school. Mornings like this one convince me that I truly do have the best job in the world.

Speaking of the weekend, I read an excellent article this past weekend that framed the task ahead of us to prepare our students to be 21^st century learners. In the article, Tony Wagner cited survival skills our 21^st century learners need: critical thinking, problem solving, the ability to collaborate across networks and lead by influence, agility, adaptability, initiative, entrepreneurialism, effective oral and written communication, the ability to access and analyze information, curiosity, and imagination. I plan to share the article at our next staff meeting to launch a discussion on how we are fostering these essential skills within our classrooms and school learning environment.

After greeting the students, morning announcements, and a walk-through of the building to check in with staff, it was time to meet with the second grade guided reading groups. I had prepared to have them reread a book that we had listened to online last week – White Socks Only – (www.storyline.com). Well, at the end of last week, I had shared the lesson with a teacher. This morning, the teacher asked me to use the books. So, I did the only thing that I could do, and I gave her the books and “punted” as teachers have to do from time to time. Instead of rereading the story in pairs, I decided to have the students listen once again to the story. However, this time they would work in pairs on a laptop. This would prepare them for our lesson on story elements with a focus on plot. This proved to be quite the adventure on the laptops since a few “bugs” have entered our system’s network over the past week. Needless to say, the site wouldn’t load (on any of the computers) and we went to plan “c” – Taking turns rereading a hard copy of the text. I explained to the children that it is always helpful to have an alternate plan, especially when technology is involved. It is not a question of if something will go wrong, it is when. Therefore, if you are prepared with a back-up plan, things will work out fine. We concluded the lesson with a review on story elements and Thursday when we meet we will be mapping out the plot on the SmartBoard. They will definitely take pleasure in that part! If you haven’t checked out Read, Write, Think, take a moment to peruse the site at (www.readwritethink.org) It is an excellent web site affiliated with NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) and offers a wealth of engaging and interactive activities.

Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day as our fourth grade “lunch bunch” resumes. We will be reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid III. This time, we have close to 60 students who volunteered their lunch time to read, up from 40 the last time. Again, I am thrilled with the number of boys participating in the book share. It will be challenging to keep them engaged, but I have some engaging activities mapped out for the next few weeks. A few of the fourth grade teachers are going to join us this time around. I am certain they will find the time worthwhile.

The next few weeks will be CRAZY due to the fact that third and final evaluations of nontenured staff are taking place as well as annual summative evaluations. I feel stretched pretty thin right now, but the reward of teaching and learning with the staff and students is certainly worth whatever it takes.

Giving it a grand effort,

Anastasia

The More You Learn, The More You Realize You Need to Learn!

Recently, as I sat in the audience at a technology workshop for administrators, I was unprepared for the tremendous sense of disappointment that I felt in the way our students are schooled. The surge of disappointment caused me to think about my own learning and how to facilitate learning using technology in the classroom. I pride myself on being a leader of technology in the elementary setting. However, I was humbled to learn just how much I have to learn. There are so many resources on the web that I am under utilizing. Keeping up the pace is challenging but necessary. I have to wonder, if I am feeling technologically inferior, how are my colleagues feeling? As administrators we have a daunting task ahead of us to stay on the same page as our digital natives.

Last Friday, I arranged for all of our teaching staff to receive SmartBoard training. Reflecting on the experience of the day, I view this as, “One small step for educators, one giant leap for kids!” The teachers were completely engaged in the learning sessions. After the workshop, I had more than one teacher thank me (!) for the training, and they really appreciated the release time to use the SmartBoards in a small setting. Throughout the course of the next week, several teachers used the SmartBoards for lessons in their classrooms. One thing that help support this initiative was that our school district provided laptops for all of our elementary teachers and the teachers received them the Monday following the SmartBoard training. Talk about serendipitous! As an aside, this morning as I completed my walk-throughs, three out of our five SmartBoards were being utilized. I commend our dedicated teaching staff for their willingness to use technology in the classroom. As I utilize technology with my guided reading groups, I do realize the amount of time and effort that is put into designing the lessons. However, the reward for the students is priceless.

Working together,
Anastasia